Moonlight on Steel
by RadiantBeam
Summary: In which Miyuki follows in Nanoha's footsteps, and Satsuki gets a second chance at life. ::Tsukihime x Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha:: ::Post-A's, AU::
1. 01

**Disclaimer: **Tsukihime/MGLN are not mine, no matter how much I want to give poor Miyuki more love and poor Satsuki a hug.

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><p><strong>Moonlight on Steel<strong>

_01._

She was hungry.

How long had she lived with this hunger? She didn't know. The sharp, insistent pang in her belly drowned out memories of what she might have been before the hunger invaded, and took up every aspect of her being.

She was hungry.

She'd survived this long on rats; rats and other stray animals, things no one would notice missing. The first time she had killed one and tasted its blood, she had vomited it back up and lost the nutrition. She'd gotten better since then; forced herself to get better.

She was hungry.

The animals weren't enough, of course. Her body accepted the blood, but only because she refused to go after the better alternative. She saw them, she always saw them; the humans, walking on the streets, talking and laughing, mocking her from the world of light as she huddled, cold and forgotten, in some dark alley no one paid any attention to. If she killed one of them, just one, she knew the hunger would go away. She wouldn't feel so cold anymore.

She was hungry, and yet…

It would only take one. Just one, and the hunger would go away. The pain would fade, and she could remember who she was, who she had been before this nightmare had started.

And yet…

And yet she knew if she killed a human for blood, she would change. She would change, and become something else. Something different.

Something scary.

Yumizuka Satsuki didn't want to change.

But she was still so hungry.

* * *

><p>Misaki City was unusually warm and sunny during the day.<p>

Takamachi Miyuki figured it was probably a blessing in disguise; acting as bodyguard for a rich, rather disliked businessman would have been much less bearable if the weather had been cold and rainy, regardless of how much he paid her. It was odd, then, that for some reason it bothered her, as if the sunlight was trying to compensate for things that lurked unseen in the shadows.

Shaking her head and dismissing the thought, the woman stretched and winced as something in her back cracked out, looking around her hotel room. Her first day on the job had gone off without a hitch; she hadn't even needed to look particularly threatening. Personally, she was of the opinion that her charge didn't even matter enough to really register on anyone's radar, but she wasn't about to complain with the amount he was paying her.

_This city doesn't suit you._

Ah, another annoying thought. Grimacing, Miyuki sat down on her bed and checked her watch, absently wondering if she should call and let her family know the first day had gone well.

She knew there was no reason for her to take the job. Money had never been a concern, and she hadn't taken to the sword like Kyouya had. Oh, certainly, she enjoyed her lessons with her brother, and liked the pride that came into her father's eyes every time he saw her practicing, but that was all there was to it. She didn't enjoy fighting, she never had.

And yet here she was, on a job that pretty much said fighting would probably happen. Hell, her sword was in the corner of the room, propped up and waiting for the moment she decided to grab it.

The question then was simple: why? If she didn't like fighting, had no desire or drive for it, why was she doing something that would ensure that sooner or later she'd have to fight? At the very least, she should have brought Kyouya with her, instead of insisting on going by herself.

Annoyingly enough, the answer was just as simple as the question itself.

Grimacing, Miyuki scowled at the ceiling as she fell onto her back, her black hair spilling all around her. She was jolted from her thoughts, this time, by the cheery ring of her phone, some anime theme tune Nanoha had set it to and she'd never had the heart to change. Rolling over, she grabbed it from the dresser and flicked it open. "Hello?"

"Onee-chan!" Nanoha's voice was scolding, and loud enough for her first reaction to be yanking the phone away from her ear. "You promised you'd call!"

"Ah, yeah, yeah." Laughing sheepishly, the older woman rubbed the back of her neck. "I'm sorry, I was just thinking."

That seemed to appease her younger sister, as Nanoha let the topic drop and immediately started chattering excitedly, informing Miyuki of everything she had missed while being away. Amused by the energy in her voice and hearing her parents and brother speaking in the background, Miyuki simply lifted her eyes to the ceiling again and listened.

The answer to the question was as simple as the question itself, but right now, she didn't think about that.

The call lasted an hour, and when it ended, another glance at her clock confirmed for Miyuki that it was only a little after ten. Oddly restless, she grabbed her jacket and headed out of the hotel room, making sure she had her key on her before leaving.

She didn't like how Misaki City felt in the daylight, but maybe in the dark hours of evening, she'd feel more at ease.

She didn't even think to grab her sword.

* * *

><p>The hunger was unbearable tonight.<p>

She didn't know what had triggered the change; perhaps the lack of blood. There hadn't been as many strays in the area recently, so she'd lost the minimal blood supply she had. She was still surviving on her original prey—rats—but rats didn't have enough blood to keep the pangs at ease.

She stood in the back alley, in the shadows, and watched the area with sharp red eyes as she wandered. Her nails had sharpened and lengthened into claws. Her breathing was becoming short, ragged, every muscle in her body tense.

She was so hungry, and she couldn't survive on animal blood any longer.

It wouldn't be so wrong to just haunt around the alleys, would it? Yes… stay in the darkness and observe. If a human wandered into her area—or several—well, it just wasn't her fault that she killed them and drank their blood, was it? They'd chosen to leave the safety of numbers, to come into her domain.

Yes.

Yes, that made perfect sense.

In that moment, Satsuki changed.

Just a little, but it was the start.

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><p>The night life in Misaki, it turned out, was unusually quiet; Miyuki wasn't sure if that was a regular aspect of the city, or if some outside force had a hand in it. She didn't mind it, though. There were still people in the city, milling about and mingling together, going somewhere or speaking.<p>

The air was nicer, too. She couldn't quite put a finger on why she felt more at easy in Misaki at night, but for some reason she did, even though she still had that quiet, gut feeling that something was hiding in the shadows, watching, waiting for the right moment to attack.

Maybe because at least in the darkness of night, whatever was there didn't try to hide.

The temperature was beginning to drop though, just slightly; when she blew out, Miyuki could see her breath misting in the air, streams of white that quickly faded away. Digging into her pocket for change, she headed over to a deserted vending machine, punching for canned coffee.

The can dropped with a thud, and as she knelt down to grab it, Miyuki heard it then; a similar thud, a loud muffled crash, from the alley only a little ways away from the machine.

She paused, drink in hand, and listened. Several minutes passed, and she could have sworn she'd imagined it; except then she heard it again. Another small crash, and this time the sound of muffled… footsteps?

She frowned. _Someone's back there?_

"Hello?" Still gripping the coffee, she headed toward the mouth of the alley, moving cautiously as she peered into the shadows. "Is someone back there?"

No response. Somewhere in the darkness, she heard what sounded like a rat skittering across the ground, letting out a small shriek. The footsteps seemed to have faded.

Miyuki was, in general, a smart person. She could hold her own in a fight, but she had basic preservation instincts; she knew going into a dark, deserted alley in the middle of the night was asking for trouble, even for someone like her. The best decision was to let the incident go and leave.

But… she'd heard crashes, and footsteps. What if someone was in trouble?

Swallowing and steeling herself, she stepped into the alley. When nothing happened, she ventured in deeper. "Hello?" she called again. "Are you there? I just want to help. You sound like you're in trouble."

She only glimpsed gleaming, predatory red eyes before something slammed into her with all the force of a freight train.

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><p>Human stupidity or human kindness, she really wasn't picky as long as she fed.<p>

The moment the prey stepped into the shadows, away from the dim city lights, she attacked; the female never even knew what hit her. A clawed hand closed around her windpipe and shoved her back against the wall of the building, the canned coffee she was holding clattering to the ground, her glasses shattering as soon as they hit the concrete.

She could sense the blood, rich and full of delicious life, coursing through the female's body. She smirked darkly as the prey squirmed and gasped, wide, stunned teal eyes staring into her gleaming red ones.

Yes. This one would do. This one would do nicely. She was young, and she seemed healthy; a good meal.

Her first real kill.

Licking her lips, she leaned in, her claws digging lightly into the female's neck and drawing blood; the quick pricks of pain made her gasp and squirm more, but she couldn't escape. She was only human, after all.

Only, pathetically human.

Her breath brushed creamy, smooth skin. The prey had gone still now, frozen, breathing raggedly, watching her movements out of the corner of her eye. All it would take was one bite. One bite, and she would taste the blood, be able to feed and finally, _finally _appease the horrible, painful hunger…

_Only human._

_Didn't you used to be human?_

The thought was crystal clear, the first she'd had in a good long while; she froze, stunned by it.

Well… yes, of course. The prey was only human. Wasn't that how it worked? She was supposed to feed on them, feed on humans, wasn't that how she was now?

_But you used to be human, too. Right? Weren't you human once?_

Had she been human once? She couldn't remember, honestly, she couldn't remember anything since the hunger; but, well, it made sense, she supposed. That she might have been human. Surely, she had to have come from somewhere, yes? She hadn't always been like this.

… Right?

_So if you used to be human, why are you about to kill another human?_

Why was she about… to kill… when she had been…

Oh.

Oh.

_Oh, shit. _

And in that moment, the former human known as Yumizuka Satsuki screamed and threw herself off of the woman as if she had been burned, slamming into another wall with enough force to make the building rumble, and buried her face in her hands.

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><p>It was the cry that snapped Miyuki out of her daze; the stunned, horrified, anguished cry of realization and loss. Slumping back, she gasped out and brought a hand to her neck, seeing warm, red blood on her fingers. She groaned and exhaled heavily, shaking, as her heart tried to calm itself. She looked up, slowly.<p>

The girl who had attacked her was curled in a ball, rocking back and forth, sobbing; her shoulders shook with the force of it as she wept, muffled, helpless sounds of horror. Miyuki was silent for a long moment, watching her.

Most people, after a situation such as this, would have run away screaming like children. Most people would have run away and never looked back, would have never even given the weeping girl a thought.

Takamachi Miyuki was not most people. Her family didn't make it a habit of ignoring anyone who was crying.

Slowly, she got to her feet, and was pleased when her body supported itself. Kneeling down, she grabbed the can she had dropped and quietly made her way over to the girl. She hesitated only a moment before she knelt again, gently patting the girl on the head to get her attention. When teary red eyes peered up at her, she smiled weakly and offered her the canned coffee.

"It's, uh… it's still warm, I think."

The girl stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending, before she realized her former victim was not, in fact, running away in complete and utter terror. She blinked, then tentatively accepted the offered can, probably more out of shock than anything. "Ah… thank you," she managed, and wiped hastily at her nose with her sleeve.

_Red eyes, huh?_

Red eyes, attacking humans, a taste for blood…. Yeah. Miyuki had seen something like this before. Those of the Tsukimura family didn't have red eyes, and they certainly didn't attack humans for the blood they sought, but then again, they were in a position where they didn't need to. Some were far less lucky.

"Um…." The soft, hesitant voice tuned her out of her thoughts; the girl was looking at her again, absently playing with the can of coffee, her eyes confused. "You…. Aren't running away?"

Miyuki shrugged, scratching her cheek and smiling sheepishly. "You aren't the first vampire I've encountered. You were just hungry, right?"

The girl blinked at that; her eyes slowly drifted down, to the bloody marks on her throat, and she cringed. "But…. I hurt you." She trembled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to, I just… the hunger…"

"Hey." Gently, she patted the girl on the head to soothe her. "I'm still alive, see? And it's fine. Like I said, you aren't the first vampire I've encountered."

Another blink; the girl was just staring at her now, clutching the can like a lifeline.

Sighing, Miyuki continued speaking. "Let me guess. You haven't had any human blood yet, right?"

Slowly, the girl shook her head. She looked down, now. "I was only turned recently… I think. I don't really remember. I've mostly been feeding on animals."

Another sigh. That explained her ferocity in attacking, at least; the poor kid must have felt like she was starving to death. The fact that her humanity had managed to reassert herself before she made the kill spoke volumes about the kind of nature she'd had before being turned.

Still, that didn't solve the problem of the hunger.

_Damn, of all the times to not have my sword with me._

Scowling now, Miyuki got to her feet and hunted through the dark alley. Tentatively, the girl clicked open the drink and took a sip, delighted when the coffee stayed down. After a few seconds of rummaging and muttering, Miyuki came back.

She was holding a shard of glass.

Red eyes became slightly nervous. "What are you—"

She choked on her drink as with practiced ease, Miyuki pressed the shard against her palm and slashed, grimacing only a little. Kneeling down again, she offered her bleeding hand to her. "Drink," she said.

"B-b-but… you _cut _yourself and you didn't even _blink_, that isn't… _why did you_—"

"Drink," Miyuki repeated calmly, "or I'll force you." When the girl simply boggled, she sighed. "Look, come on, I'm offering, here. It won't be like you're attacking me, okay?"

She managed a small, weak smile, and hoped it would be enough.

* * *

><p>Swallowing hard, Satsuki slowly lowered the can and scooted across the ground, reaching out. Gripping the older woman's wrist, she drew her hand closer.<p>

It smelled delicious. The blood seeped out of the wound, red and vibrant, and it made her head swim from sight and scent alone. Trembling a little, she lowered her head and flicked her tongue out, catching a few drops.

The taste was heavenly.

The hunger reared its head again, and this time she couldn't fight it; mindful of her sharpened fangs, she finally gave in to the urge and drank. The only reaction to this was a small shudder and a hiss of pain from the woman, but otherwise she didn't move to pull away.

The difference was stunning. Human blood tasted better, felt better, seemed to fill her up and revitalize her in ways that animal blood had never accomplished.

She didn't know how long she drank; probably only a few minutes, at best. Despite her aching desire to keep drinking, to drink until her hunger was completely and utterly sated, she pulled away. "Thank you," she rasped.

The woman pulled away. "Was that enough?"

"I'll be okay." It was better than nothing, and it had appeased the ache to a more manageable, easy to ignore pain. She swallowed, then smiled weakly. "I'm, uh… I'm Yumizuka Satsuki. Nice to meet you."

The woman blinked, stunned; then she chuckled and smiled again, warmly, and Satsuki no longer felt so cold.

"Takamachi Miyuki. The pleasure's all mine."

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><p>This is a first for me, a story I'm posting to <em>after <em>I've completed it!

Anyway, this was basically my project for blowing off some recently gathered steam, and as such is rather short and to the point about things. Ideally I'll post a chapter once a week, since all of the raw material is still written out, I just need to clean it up and edit some lines.

Read and review, please!


	2. 02

__Disclaimer: As per usual, absolutely nothing is mine.

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><p><em>02.<em>

Well, this was an annoyance.

Perched up high on a tall building, ignoring the way the wind blew at her, Ciel sighed heavily and sheathed her Black Keys. So much for handling the girl tonight as she had planned, now that a human was involved.

She had noticed the presence of the recently turned Satsuki early on, even before it had been announced in school that the girl had gone missing; even then, she had seen the slim form huddled in the shadows, trying desperately to fight her instincts. She had left the child alone for the time being to deal with the walking dead and the presence of Roa, but with the princess now taking control of _that _situation, Ciel suddenly found herself having to make a decision about the red-eyed, brown-haired vampire before she went off to pick her usual fight with Arcueid.

It really hadn't been a decision, as much as she hated to admit it. Satsuki had been a good student and a kind girl, overall, but in the end she was now a vampire, and she was now a threat. She had merely been delaying the inevitable, and had planned to end it tonight, as quickly and painlessly as possible. As someone the girl had once called "Senpai", she owed her that much.

But now a human had come, and given Satsuki her blood, and had even taken the girl with her, and now a wrench had been thrown into her plans that she hadn't foreseen in the least.

It was annoying, to put it mildly.

Sighing again into the empty air, Ciel turned away. The night was ending, and she still had to maintain her mask as a normal high school student, which meant she needed at least _some _sleep to function through class.

Tomorrow, then.

Tomorrow, she would handle Satsuki's unexpected savior. And after that, she kill Satsuki herself, before she became an even more serious threat to the people of the city.

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><p>"<em>When was I turned? Oh, um… only a little while ago, I think. I was walking home from school."<em>

Checking to make sure the drapes were securely drawn shut, Miyuki grabbed her yellow ribbon and wove it through her hair, forgoing her usual braid for a far easier ponytail. She would need to replace her glasses when she got home, and she considered it a blessing that all things considered, she didn't really need them anyway. She would probably get scolded for losing them, but it was a minor punishment to face.

"_I wanted to go home, you know. I mean, the very first night, I actually went back to my house. It was silly, wasn't it? I can't go home anymore, I knew that even then, so… why did I try?"_

She grabbed a light jacket, mindful of the weather report that had stated there would be a slight chill for the day, and blew out a long breath, looking around the room. All set to go, she'd already gotten up early and had eaten breakfast; all she needed was to grab her sword, and she'd be good for the day.

The black-haired woman glanced back at the bed, then smiled sheepishly. "Well, almost ready," she murmured, and gently sat down next to the peacefully sleeping form of Satsuki, the girl curled tightly around her pillow as if she'd gone days without proper rest.

All things considered, it wouldn't shock Miyuki if she had.

"_I didn't go inside, though. Because I realized, the way I am now, I'll probably scare Mom and Dad. I didn't want to do that. So I left. I haven't gone back since."_

"Satsuki." Gently gripping the girl's shoulder, Miyuki shook her, keeping her voice low so as to not startle. "Satsuki, wake up."

Satsuki grunted in protest and shifted, mumbling incoherently; a single sleepy, clouded red eye cracked open, surveying the other woman and wordlessly asking her why she was disturbing her.

Miyuki couldn't resist an amused grin. "Good morning, sleeping beauty. Just letting you know, I'm going to be out all day. I'm guarding someone for awhile. I'll be back in the evening. Will you be all right?"

Satsuki nodded, still half asleep, and muffled a yawn behind her hand; her eyes cleared and sharpened though, just a little, and she glanced up at Miyuki nervously. "Um… before you go, do you think…."

_Ah. _

"Yeah, sure. Hold on."

Getting off the bed, Miyuki grabbed her sword and unsheathed it with practiced ease, pausing to briefly tug off the small bandage she had applied to her hand before she carefully pressed the blade against her flesh, deep enough to reopen the wound and draw blood.

When she went back, she saw Satsuki had managed to sit up now; wearing an old, oversized shirt of hers and with her hair down, she truly looked younger than she was. Her gaze immediately focused on the blood, even as she tensed.

She still hadn't fully accepted the desires of her change, it seemed.

Miyuki sat down next to her. "You'll get used to it," she said gently.

Satsuki looked at her for a long, wordless moment before she nodded and gently gripped Miyuki's wrist, bringing her palm to her lips.

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><p>It always shocked her, really, just how trusting this woman was; her apparent experience with vampires played a role in that, Satsuki knew, but it was still a strange delight, to meet someone who actually somewhat understood her condition and was willing to help. In spite of that, though, a part of her still expected Miyuki to run away, and it was probably the reason why she held onto her wrist a little more tightly than she should have.<p>

If Miyuki noticed, she didn't mention it.

At least this time, the hunger wasn't too bad; she'd actually managed to get a decent amount of sleep, and while she was certainly hungry, it wasn't the aching, gnawing hunger that had ripped at her belly like claws.

As it had last night, drinking only took a few minutes; the hunger remained, it always would, but now it was a small, mild throb that she could easily ignore. Absently, Satsuki traced a finger along one sharpened fang as Miyuki reached over and grabbed the small first aid kit on her dresser, plucking out a fresh band-aid. "You'll be out all day?"

"Yeah. Guard duty." Miyuki pressed the bandage down, wincing slightly at the small shock of pain that ran through her body. "I should be back before dinner, though. Do you mind staying here?"

Satsuki shook her head, glancing around the room. It was small and bare, save for the television set, a small table, a refrigerator, a dresser, the bed, and the bathroom, but it was better than being out in the alleys. "I'll be all right. I can just watch TV or something if I start getting too bored."

Miyuki nodded, ruffling Satsuki's hair with one hand before she got off the bed. Satsuki blinked at the gesture, lifting a hand to smooth out her hair and wondering at the warm, affectionate sensation.

"Good; I'll try to get back when I can. There's drinks and snacks in the fridge, and I left the extra key to the room and some money in the dresser in case you want to wander around the hotel." Miyuki paused, realized how that sounded, and winced. "I mean, I'm not saying you can't go anywhere else, but…"

Satsuki giggled at the unsure, sheepish look on her companion's face. "It's all right, Miyuki-san," she said, and liked how the other woman's name rolled off her tongue; how _right _it felt to speak to someone again. "I understand what you're saying." She smiled. "I don't mind staying here."

"Ah, good, good." Seeming a bit off balance now—either that or she was dizzy from blood loss—Miyuki ran a hand through her hair, then nodded. "Well, then. I'll see you later, Satsuki."

Satsuki lifted her hand in farewell, watching Miyuki until the door closed and indicated she had left. Sighing, she fell back into the tangled sheets and stared at the ceiling, closing her eyes.

"She's nice, at least," she murmured, not sure why she felt the urge to say it out loud.

And in spite of herself, she began to hope.

Just a little bit.

* * *

><p>It was cloudy outside, but the drizzle that Miyuki had heard about that morning on the news hadn't fallen yet, making her tentatively hope that possibly the rain had passed them over today. Not that it mattered; Satsuki was safe and dry in the hotel room, and she was currently leaning against the wall outside a large meeting room, tapping her fingers against the hilt of her sword out of habit, eyes closed as she relaxed.<p>

The walls muffled voices, but she could hear enough to know they'd be here for awhile; she could swear she sensed an argument brewing between the men in that room. Snorting quietly in amusement, she reached into her pocket and fished out her phone, opening her eyes to look at it contemplatively before she flipped it open, punching the familiar number.

He picked up on the first ring. Kyouya was good like that. "Hello?"

He sounded breathless; had she interrupted him during training. "Kyou-chan, hey." She brushed loose strands of hair out of her eyes, unable to keep the smile out of her voice.

"Miyuki!" Her brother laughed over the line. "I was wondering when you'd call." A teasing note entered his voice. "Want me to come and help out after all?"

"Ha, ha. You're hilarious." Chuckling, Miyuki closed her eyes again. "This is going to sound weird, but is Shinobu-san with you? I need to talk to her."

"Shinobu?" It seemed to take a moment for the gears in Kyouya's head to start turning—she must have interrupted him during training, after all—but when they did, she wasn't disappointed. "Ah, yeah, she came today with Suzuka-chan to visit Nanoha, I'll go get her."

"Thanks."

She waited in the silence that fell, hearing muffled sounds on the other end that indicated her brother was moving, probably leaving the dojo and heading for the house. She heard the sound of voices, then the phone being handed over. Shinobu's voice flowed over the line, curious and warm. "Miyuki?"

"Shinobu-san, hi." Miyuki paused, then winced, realizing what she was about to ask would sound even weirder. "Um… do you mind going somewhere quiet? I need to talk to you about something."

"Hm? Oh, of course, hold on…" The sound again of voices, then footsteps; good, Shinobu was able to heed her request, that made this easier. After a minute, the purple-haired woman spoke again. "I'm alone."

"Good." Miyuki paused for a moment, mulling over how to bring up the issue, then sighed and decided that diving into it would be the best method. "I found this girl."

There was a long pause over the phone.

A very, very long pause.

_Ah, shit. _"I don't mean like that!" Miyuki practically yelped. "I mean, uh, I was out last night, and she just attacked me out of nowhere… crap."

Shinobu sounded as if she was trying to swallow laughter and failing. Badly. "My, Miyuki, I didn't know you were into that kind of thing."

"I hate you," Miyuki muttered, rubbing her temples with her free hand to ease the headache she could feel forming. "She's a _vampire_, Shinobu-san. She was attacking me for _my blood._"

There was another long pause over the phone; then…

"She _what_?"

Miyuki yanked the phone away from her ear at the volume of Shinobu's shout, wincing; when she was certain the moment had passed, she brought it back and spoke. "I'm okay, I swear. She… she realized what she was doing and she stopped." When Shinobu didn't respond, she pressed on. "She's young, Shinobu-san. Only recently turned, and she can't go home. Can you help her?"

"Being turned is different from being born a vampire, Miyuki," Shinobu sighed.

Miyuki's heart dropped to her stomach. "So you can't?"

"I didn't say that," the older woman responded gently. "I'm just thinking. You said she turned recently?"

"Only a few days ago, from what she told me. I was the first human she's fed from."

Shinobu was quiet for several minutes, mulling this over. When she spoke again, she sounded sure of herself, as if she'd made up her mind. "I could get her a steady blood supply," she said. "And I could probably help her with her impulse control, if she's still young."

"That's great. That's perfect." Miyuki's heart lifted, this time. "That's all she really needs, I think. She'd be fine if we could just get her somewhere steady."

"Then yes, Miyuki. I can help her."

The younger woman breathed out a sigh of relief, slumping back against the wall; she hadn't even realized she'd tensed up during the conversation. "I owe you one, Shinobu-san."

A warm, gentle laugh echoed in her ear. "We'll discuss it when you come home."

And with that, Shinobu hung up.

* * *

><p>The novelty of the hotel room, it turned out, wore off quickly after Miyuki had left; Satsuki had showered and dressed, snatching a pair of sweatpants and a shirt from the dresser, and turned on the television. When she'd started to zone out, she'd turned it off and left the room, wandering around to stretch her legs and check out the hotel.<p>

She'd spoken to an elderly couple in the lobby, had helped a little boy find his lost toy in the hallway, and had chatted with the man behind the counter at one of the little restaurants within the place.

It had been the most human interaction she'd had in what felt like eternity, and it was wonderful to be able to speak again, think clearly again, and ignore the hunger that for the moment only nudged at the corner of her mind. She would need to feed when Miyuki returned, she knew that much, but it seemed human blood allowed her to last longer between meals than animal blood had.

There was still one thing she wanted to test, though.

Satsuki made her way back to the room she shared with Miyuki, closing the door behind her. After a moment of hesitation, she made her way over to the tightly drawn curtains and reached out, grasping them in one hand.

She paused.

It hadn't taken long for her to realize, back when she could still think, what she had become; she wasn't blind, she had read the stories and watched the movies. She'd become a vampire, and vampires didn't survive in sunlight. She'd fled into the alleys and lived in darkness then, hiding out in small, cramped places whenever the day started and the sun rose.

In her animalistic state, she had accepted it as a simple fact of life and lived by it. But now…

There was no harm in trying, was there? If she was wrong, she could just draw the curtain shut and forget she'd even tried.

Satsuki's hand trembled once, then stilled. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again before she pulled the curtain aside.

The morning and early afternoon had been cloudy, but with the lack of rain and the wind, the dark gray clouds had shredded away to reveal warm, pale rays of sunlight. Satsuki squeezed her eyes shut as the sun spilled over her, and waited for death.

And waited.

Waited. Waited…

_Nothing's happening…?_

Slowly, cautiously, she cracked open an eye, lifting her hand. It was still there; it was still whole, still complete. It hadn't turned to ash. She was standing in the sunlight, and she wasn't burning. She was standing in the sunlight like she had before, so many times in the past.

Like nothing had changed.

She opened her other eye, but being able to see completely didn't change the fact. Satsuki trembled, then laughed; softly at first, then louder, laughing in shock, delight, complete and utter _happiness_, hugging herself and twirling about in the golden rays of the sun.

Even with how she was now, some things hadn't changed, would never change.

The sunlight felt warm.

* * *

><p>Despite his best attempts to convince her to join him for dinner (and then his bed, surely… Miyuki knew how men like him thought), Miyuki was able to break away from her employer and head back to her hotel room. She was, admittedly, worried about Satsuki; she believed that the girl had a decent handle on her impulse control, but if she was wrong…<p>

She slid the key into the door, clicked it open, and stepped inside. "Satsuki?"

And for the second time in a day, she felt something slam into her with the force of a freight train, shutting the door behind her with a loud slam as she was pressed against it.

"Miyuki-san!" Satsuki clung to her, practically glowing with delight. "Miyuki-san, the sun doesn't burn me!"

"…. Wha?" Miyuki managed weakly, trying to look away from the pretty little birdies currently fluttering about the room as her vision dimmed and spun.

"The sun!" Her eyes glowing, Satsuki practically bounced away from Miyuki, as if she had too much energy to stay still. "I can go out in the sun! That hasn't changed!"

"…. Ah," Miyuki murmured, her vision finally clearing as she understood the weight of this particular event. She smiled warmly and slowly sat up, wincing and making a note of speaking to Satsuki about this; she wasn't built for being slammed around by young vampires who didn't know their own strength. "That's great, Satsuki. I'm happy for you."

Satsuki beamed at that, seeming to glow even brighter than the sun she gushed about. When Miyuki made no move to get to her feet, though, she winced and calmed down, holding out a hand. "Ah, I'm sorry, did I hurt you? I was just so happy…"

_Only nearly cracked my ribs_, Miyuki thought in amusement, and accepted the offered hand, staggering to her feet. "I'm okay. You just startled me."

Satsuki shifted from foot to foot nervously, but when Miyuki only smiled at her, she calmed down and nodded, seeming to accept it. "I'm still sorry," she muttered. "I guess I just got excited."

"Hey, being able to go out in the sun is a big deal, right?" Gently, Miyuki patted her on the shoulder. "Don't feel bad about it. It's a good thing."

Satsuki smiled tentatively at this, following Miyuki into the bathroom as the other girl grabbed an empty glass and filled it with water, taking a sip. "Have you eaten?"

"Hm? Oh, not yet." Miyuki shook her head, lowering her glass. "What about you? How do you feel?"

"Fine, actually." It was the truth, and it shocked Satsuki, but the hunger hadn't gotten worse over the day; had remained steady and not much of a bother. She tilted her head to the side. "Are you planning to go out somewhere?"

"I was thinking of eating out. The city seems nice at night." Miyuki smirked, now. "And you're probably bored from being in here all day."

Satsuki winced. "It wasn't… _that _bad…"

"But boring?"

"… A little bit."

"Thought so."

Satsuki blushed a little at that, but she hurried off to find a sweater, something that would be better at protecting her from the night chill. Chuckling in amusement, Miyuki turned back to the sink and gulped a mouthful of water.

_This time, though, I'm bringing my sword. Just in case._

* * *

><p>Ah, they were moving.<p>

Ciel perked up as the pair left the hotel. It was about damn time; she'd been watching them since nightfall.

She'd done her research after school, once she had the chance. Takamachi Miyuki; swordswoman, young, adopted into the family as a child. A decent person all around, relatively skilled, but not as well known as her father, brother, or even her little sister. If that fact bothered her, she didn't seem bothered by it.

All around, a normal person.

Ciel got to her feet and headed across the roof, to the next building. She would wait; she was patient, she had all night. It was just a matter of getting the pair alone, separating them, and in the best case scenario, killing Satsuki before Miyuki had a chance to even realize what was going on.

Takamachi Miyuki. A normal person, all around.

A shame she'd gotten involved in all of this. She'd probably need therapy for a few years.

* * *

><p>My theory with Satsuki and sunlight is she had the potential to be absurdly powerful right from the get go, so even if she's not actively using that power, she can resist sunlight and walk about in it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it because the sunlight scene was my favorite part of this chapter, and I'm not taking it out.<p>

Read and review, please!


	3. 03

Disclaimer: I own nothing, as per usual.

* * *

><p><em>03.<em>

The city lights glittered in the darkness of night, like stars snatched down from the sky and given the chance to dance about on the ground. It was an oddly poetic thought, Satsuki mused, but it was the best way she could arrange her thoughts after actually being able to wander around the city again. Sure, she had thought before that she could only survive in the night, but she had never expected to walk freely among humans again, not when she hungered for their blood.

"You look like you're having fun," Miyuki murmured in amusement, trailing behind Satsuki as the brown-haired girl walked ahead of her in the park, her hands absently clasped behind her head.

Going to the park had been her idea, of course; dinner had been a quick, tasty affair at a small place, and since the night was still young, the recently turned vampire wanted to enjoy it for a few more hours before returning to the hotel room for the night.

Satsuki glanced back at Miyuki, grinning. "I am. It's nice, being able to walk around like this again." She exhaled deeply, watching her breath mist in the air, and shoved her hands into her pockets, glancing up at the sky. The moon was pretty tonight, she mused; not completely full, but still bright and glowing in the night sky. It was an oddly soothing presence for her.

She paused, hearing that the other woman was no longer following her. Curious, she turned around. "Miyuki-san?"

Miyuki was standing in the beam of a street lamp, seeming lost in thought for a moment; her teal eyes were unreadable, her head cocked to one side, fingers resting against the hilt of her sword. She was quiet and still, as if listening for a sound she had lost track of.

Shivering a little, Satsuki made her way back to her companion, gently touching her arm. "Miyuki-san?" she repeatedly softly.

The swordswoman blinked, snapped out of her reverie by the touch and by Satsuki's soft, uncertain voice. She smiled sheepishly and relaxed. "Sorry," she said. "I was just thinking." She trailed off for a moment, shifting from foot to foot, before she took a deep breath and spoke again. "Say, Satsuki."

She pulled her hand back, red eyes curious. "Yeah?"

"You said you aren't planning to go home?"

The young vampire winced, just a little; she had made her peace with the fact that she could never return to her old house back when she had first turned, but it was still a sore wound to be reminded of it. She knew Miyuki meant well, though. "I'm not," she said. "I can't go home again, not like this." She scratched her cheek and smiled, weakly. "I'd just scare Mom and Dad."

Miyuki nodded at this, seeming to sink back into thought again; she finally made up her mind, meeting Satsuki's gaze. "My brother has a girlfriend," she began. "She's a vampire, like you. She's a born one, but…"

She trailed off here, but Satsuki nodded for her to continue, oddly intrigued. She didn't know what any of this had to do with her, but Miyuki was clearly trying to build up to something

"She has a supply of blood," Miyuki continued, hitting her stride now that she was actually talking, putting her thoughts into words, and speaking them to the person she felt needed to hear them. "I was thinking, you know… if I brought you back home, introduced her to you, she could really help you."

Satsuki's mind had gone oddly blank. She could hear what Miyuki was saying and understand why she was saying it, but she couldn't quite the grasp the meaning of the words, the implication of them. "Brought me home?" she managed.

"Well, I mean, if you wanted to, obviously. You could live with us, we have the room for it… I think. Not that my parents would really care, they'd just make room."

"Uh," Satsuki said, trying to get her brain to reboot itself so she could reply properly to what Miyuki was telling her. Going back to her home? Living with her family? Getting help? It seemed almost too good to be true; but Miyuki wasn't the type to lie…

"It sounds like you thought about this," Satsuki murmured, trying to speak so she could try and regain her mental balance.

Miyuki had the decency to look sheepish, at least. "I'm sorry. I probably should have asked you first, but I got to talk to her while I was working today, and she's willing to help if you're interested."

If she was interested?

It wasn't even a question. Sure, it was a new town, a new environment, and full of new people that she didn't know, but Satsuki had already accepted back when she had changed that her life as she knew it was over. Getting to start over again, even if it was no longer in her home city, sounded like a dream.

"Miyuki-san, I—"

* * *

><p>In a way, she knew it wasn't fair to Satsuki; here she was, waiting for the girl to answer her question and possibly decide to change her life, and Miyuki wasn't even giving her the full, undivided attention she deserved.<p>

She blamed her training. One ear always tuned to the environment, as she had always been taught. It was hard to turn the habit off, even during quiet moments of safety.

In the end, that habit saved Satsuki's life.

Her ear picked up the faint, high-pitched whistle of something sharp slashing through the air; she moved instinctively, lowering her body to the ground and tackling Satsuki. The impact of the weapon striking ground sent her tumbling, but even as she shielded the other girl with her body, she reached for her sword.

Even as she managed to brace on her knees and stop the world from spinning, she saw it out of the corner of her eye; something dark and quick, like death rushing down from the skies with a black sword.

Aimed right at the girl cowering in her arms.

_No way in hell._

Teal eyes blazed; her grip on her sword was tight as she brought it around to defend Satsuki, and a loud, metallic clang echoed through the night as the strange attacker collided head-on with her.

The impact alone sent hot shockwaves of pain through Miyuki's arm, and she shuddered; but she held on.

Light blue eyes widened in shock when her sword stayed firm, then hardened and narrowed; barely even seeming to move the figure shot back, putting some distance between them, glaring.

Miyuki didn't dare lower her sword, even as her arm trembled in protest.

Satsuki, for her part, could only stare.

"… Ciel-senpai?"

* * *

><p>Well, that hadn't gone as planned at all.<p>

Ciel had known Miyuki was trained; she'd done her research, she never liked going to face an opponent without doing her homework first. So on some level, she had expected a fight. Nothing especially impressive, of course, but still.

She hadn't expected the woman to be able to sense her attack, much less withstand a far more blunt assault.

Takamachi Miyuki was shaping up to be a major annoyance.

Ignoring Satsuki's hesitant call, Ciel returned to her embedded Key and yanked it out of the ground.

It didn't seem to deter her, though. "Ciel-senpai?" she called again, gingerly getting to her feet and dusting herself off. "What are you doing?"

… _Dammit._

Ciel grimaced, just a little, and pushed hair out of her eyes; when she looked up, she met Satsuki's gaze evenly. "I'm sorry," she said gently. It was all she could think to say.

She waited, and she saw it click in the other girl's eyes; saw the shift, the realization, and the pained understanding as Satsuki met her gaze and saw her for who and what she really was, and what she intended to do.

And she smiled. Shakily, painfully, sadly, but she smiled.

"It's okay," she whispered.

No. No, it wasn't okay, especially when she was smiling like that. But Ciel shook it off. She had a duty to perform; emotions couldn't get in the way now. Unsheathing more Black Keys, she stepped towards Satsuki. She could at least make it quick…

And paused, scowling in annoyance, when Miyuki swiftly got to her feet and stepped between her and the other girl, teal eyes narrow. "You've got to be kidding me," Ciel muttered.

A slim black eyebrow arched at that, but when Miyuki spoke, it was to Satsuki. "Run."

Satsuki blinked, confused. "Eh?"

"Run." She drew her sword around again in one clean arc, eyes locked on Ciel. "I can hold her off for awhile, at least."

"… You've _got _to be kidding me."

Satsuki looked between the two women, clearly dismayed. "I… but…"

Miyuki glanced back at her and smiled, now. "Don't worry. She won't kill me."

There was a long, long pause as Satsuki searched Miyuki's gaze, searching for something; when she found it, she trembled, then nodded, shooting away from the park, a dark blur of movement.

"Dammit!"

Ciel dug in to the ground and hurtled after the fleeing vampire. She only got a few feet when something warm and hard slammed into her shoulder and she suddenly choked, gagging as blood rose into her lungs. She staggered and nearly fell, bringing a hand to her throat to feel the deep, bleeding wound ripping along her flesh, an injury that, on a normal person, would have been fatal. Wheezing, she turned to face Miyuki.

Miyuki lowered her sword, the blade dripping with blood. "Sorry," she murmured. "But I did tell her I'd hold you off."

Ciel smiled, then.

It was not a particularly kind smile.

"It seems… I underestimated you," she rasped, and felt skin beginning to re-knit itself under her fingers, the damage already being undone. She straightened up, brushing droplets of blood on her uniform. "My mistake. I won't do it again."

Miyuki simply blinked, staring at Ciel's now completely healed throat.

She groaned.

"Oh, _bullshit_."

* * *

><p>Satsuki ran.<p>

_Why are you running?_

She ran easily; she didn't tire out now the way she had before, when she'd been human. Once she hit her stride, she knew she could easily run all night, possibly leave the city even if she wanted to.

But she didn't want to do that, so she just kept running.

_Miyuki-san is in the other direction._

"She told me to run."

She didn't know why she was talking; nobody could hear her conscience, after all. There was no need to justify her actions. Miyuki had told her to run, and Ciel was no longer the school mate she knew; she fully intended to kill her.

Running was the only way to survive. Run hard, run fast, and hide.

_But if you run, what will happen to Miyuki-san?_

A part of her knew, of course. The Ciel she had just seen wasn't the Ciel of her memories; that was a Ciel who could fight, could hurt, to kill.

And she'd left Miyuki alone with her.

_She told me to run._

Satsuki ran.

_You know what will happen to her._

_So why are you running?_

* * *

><p>Miyuki slammed into the lamp post with a resounding crash, her head slamming back against the metal and making her vision go dim and blurry, black around the edges as she slumped against the dented metal, dazed, and tried to ignore the burning sensation in her spine. She shifted, tried to move, and breathed a sigh of relief when her aching body obeyed her commands, even if it protested the entire time as she staggered to her feet.<p>

_Good. At least she didn't break my back._

She forced her fingers to tighten around the hilt of her sword, facing Ciel even as she shifted her weight, trying to stay light on her throbbing ankle. At least she couldn't feel her ribs anymore; she didn't think that was good, but the less pain she was in, the better she could move.

To call it a fight would have been laughable; other than the one attack at her throat, Miyuki hadn't landed another hit on Ciel, and highly doubted she would again. It was more like a child carelessly smashing its doll about, and not caring about the damage it inflicted.

"I'm impressed." Ciel's voice made her jolt and wince, gritting her teeth and straightening up as the woman came into her line of vision, a few Keys dangling loosely from her fingers. "Usually people stay down after being tossed around like that."

Miyuki smirked shakily. "I'm a Takamachi. Staying down isn't in my vocabulary."

Ciel's smile was even less pleasant. "I suppose we'll have to see if I can teach you, then."

_This is going to hurt._

Even as she realized it, though, Miyuki fell back into the familiar stance, ignoring how her ankle screeched in protest as she applied weight to it.

She'd known from the start she was going to lose the fight; right from the moment Ciel had attacked, she had sensed the power difference. She held Kyouya as her ideal, and this woman completely blew him out of the water; she could crush him without so much as blinking. It was because of that clear difference in power levels that she'd gone for the kill on her first strike. It wasn't her usual style, but she'd wanted to handle the threat quickly and cleanly.

She hadn't counted on the damn healing factor, and she was getting to the point where just standing was becoming a battle all on its own.

But she didn't dare go down.

The moment she went down, she knew the battle would be over.

Ciel's gaze drifted over her for a moment, taking in her injuries, her weak stance; her smile slowly vanished. Miyuki scowled, annoyed by it, and oddly chilled. "What?"

The other woman's eyes hardened into chips of ice. "I'm done with you," she decided, and turned away. "With those wounds, you wouldn't be able to catch me. Feel free to try if you want, but I have a vampire to catch."

And suddenly, the world went cold.

Miyuki froze. Ciel was leaving. Ciel was leaving her, intending to go after Satsuki. It was a logical decision; she was badly injured, could barely stand, and was clearly no longer a threat. Satsuki had been her main target right from the start.

It made sense. The logical part of her knew this, and told her to accept it.

"_I'm, uh… I'm Yumizuka Satsuki. Nice to meet you."_

She couldn't fight anymore. Trying to push herself would be suicidal at best. She'd never made any promises to Satsuki; she had no reason to kill herself for her sake.

"_I'll be all right. I can just watch TV or something if I start getting too bored."_

Ciel was right; she couldn't catch her even if she tried. The battle was over.

Ciel had won.

"_Miyuki-san, the sun doesn't burn me!"_

"… Like hell she wins."

Grimacing, ignoring the pain, Miyuki lowered her body to the ground, eyes narrow. One attack; all she had to do was pull it off, one attack, and get Ciel's attention back on her. What happened after that didn't matter. She'd promised Satsuki she would hold her off.

Takamachis didn't break their promises.

She charged forward, a bolt of lightning released from its cloud, blocking the pain from her mind. Ciel had her back turned.

_Big mistake._

Her blade drove home, going through Ciel's back and bursting out of her chest; blood gushed out, warm and red, onto Miyuki's hands. She trembled but held on, felt Ciel jerk and shudder, heard her gasp in shock and pain.

She smiled coldly.

"Caught you."

* * *

><p>For a single instant, Ciel saw red, and the rage drowned out the pain.<p>

A foolish, foolish mistake. Hadn't she learned? There was never time in battle to turn your back on the enemy, even when the enemy was badly injured and could barely stand. This was on her, in some ways. She could admit that.

And yet…

"_Caught you."_

Shuddering, she brought a hand up to wipe at her mouth, ignoring the coppery taste of blood against her tongue. The smile was back now; a cold, hard smile as she slowly turned around, Miyuki losing her grip on the hilt, slowly reached up and yanked the sword clean through her chest, carelessly dropping it in front of her in a pool of blood.

"Oh. My. Well." Her voice was as cold as her smile. "You really _are _a threat, aren't you? I suppose I haven't been fair to you. All right, then. I'll take you very, very seriously from now on."

Miyuki's eyes widened as the implication sank in, but it was already too late.

In a smooth, easy motion she was at Miyuki's shoulder, gripping tightly, yanking her sword arm back, back, _back _to the point of pain, the point of blacking out, and Miyuki jerked in protest, tried to escape, but Ciel was holding her too tightly, using all her strength to keep her still, and she was still _smiling_…

Smiling so coldly as she slowly, calmly slid her fingers down Miyuki's arm, below her elbow, and yanked upwards hard, the crack of bone like music to her ears.

The pain was sudden, blinding, and even as Miyuki drew air to scream Ciel's knee slammed into her stomach without mercy, and at the same time an elbow cracked against the back of her neck, and she crumbled like a puppet with its strings cut, her world going black and silent.

* * *

><p>It was too short.<p>

As blissful as it was for her world to go black and silent, Miyuki stubbornly clung to that small string of awareness, gasping brokenly for breath as she tried to force her eyes to open. The pain was paralyzing; what the hell had just happened? This wasn't a clean break, she knew that much. No, that woman had just grabbed her by the arm and _pulled_.

Her arm felt odd; like needles were embedded in her skin, limp and oddly numb despite the burning sensation. Despite being broken at the elbow, she felt as if she'd effectively lost a limb.

"Good, you're still alive." Ciel's voice made her jerk, and she groaned, coughing wetly. "You be good and stay there, now. I'm going after Yumizuka-san. She can't be too far."

Her voice was no longer cold, and Miyuki took some odd comfort in that. She tried to shift, to move, and it was the equivalent of a fish flopping around on land. Grimacing, she forced her eyes open at least, blinking as her vision swam and spun, darkly tinted around the edges and threatening to fail at any moment.

She saw Ciel sheathe her Black Keys and step away from her, turning her bloodied back to her and beginning to walk away. She paused, glancing back at her, then spoke.

"For what it's worth, you put up more of a fight than I expected. You should be proud of that."

She turned away then, and walked. Walked, with the intent of finding and killing Satsuki.

Miyuki trembled. Slowly her eyes shifted over, focusing on her bloodied, forgotten sword, only a few inches beyond her reach.

Narrowing her eyes, she dug her good fingers into the ground and began the agonizing process of closing the distance between herself and her sword.

* * *

><p>It was over for sure, this time. Ciel had been certain of that fact.<p>

In spite of her annoyance, her rage, she had spared the woman's life. Breaking her sword arm had been regrettable, but it had ended the battle, and it was an injury she could survive.

It was over for sure, so when she heard weak, muffled sounds of movement, she could have sworn she imagined it.

She froze and listened, carefully. No, it came again; the sound of something dragging itself, of ragged breathing and pained whimpers. It lasted for several minutes, and then…

A sharp intake of breath, a muffled attempt at not crying out in pain. And the sound of feet staggering, barely staying firm on the ground, and yet…

"… _You've got to be kidding me."_

She turned sharply, and her eyes widened. Her jaw simply dropped, though no sound escaped her throat.

Shaking like a leaf in the wind, barely managing to stay upright, Miyuki nonetheless stood tall and firm.

Gripped tightly in her functional, trembling hand was her sword.

Seeing the look of sheer disbelief in Ciel's eyes, Miyuki smirked.

In response, Ciel's gaze slowly hardened. Without a sound, several Black Keys slid between her fingers, gleaming darkly in the moonlight.

And once again, the world went cold.

* * *

><p>Sooo, several points to address here. I'll probably still get reviews going "But but but!", but still.<p>

1. Miyuki goes for the fatal attack right from the start. A lot of how I wrote Miyuki in a fight is based off of the OVA series Triangle Heart: Sweet Songs Ever With You, and in that series she expresses no problem with fighting and killing several goons. She's also quite aware of the power level difference between her and Ciel, so she tried to end the battle quickly. Shame she didn't count on that healing factor.

2. Satsuki runs away. This is probably going to be the big one, but I'm mainly writing Satsuki here as a young, freshly turned, inexperienced vampire who is still in many ways afraid of her own strength. She's not aware of how strong she truly is, and probably wouldn't want to hurt Ciel anyway even if she did know, and thinks Miyuki can handle it. She is, of course, sadly mistaken on that last point, but eh.

Next chapter is the last, and is the one that probably requires the most extensive rewrites and cleaning before I post it here. Should be fun.

Read and review, please!


	4. 04

__Disclaimer: As per usual, I own nothing.

Author's Notes: Apology for the late post for this; I needed to do some reworking of it compared to the original version posted to Beast's Lair, and I swear the month of February was trying its hardest to murder me. Anyway, end of the road with this one. 'Tis a short story, but I mostly did it for fun anyway, and I enjoyed it. I might even come back to the concept one day, who knows?

* * *

><p><em>04.<em>

It was quick; even if she strained her eyes, Miyuki knew she would never be able to see the movement. In her current condition, it probably wouldn't have helped to see the attack coming, anyway. She was smart enough to know that dodging was beyond her abilities.

A simple flick of the wrist was all it was; a blur of movement, and then it was over. Several Black Keys shot through the night air, completely lost in the darkness as clouds drifted to block out the light of the moon.

Her body ached all over, and sensation had faded from her broken arm a few minutes ago. All the same, Miyuki narrowed her eyes and once more fell back into the defensive stance, even as she knew it was useless.

The next blow would decide the battle, and the decision would not be in her favor.

* * *

><p>The Black Keys, slashing through nothing but empty air and utterly silent, were fast.<p>

Satsuki, sprinting so fast that she thought even her newly transformed heart would burst, was faster.

The sound of steel driving into flesh was unmistakable, and Ciel breathed a quiet sigh of relief, relaxing.

The feeling didn't last long.

* * *

><p>As the clouds drifted away, blown gently by a breeze, Miyuki blinked against the soft sensation of light, frowning as her muscles relaxed. She… wasn't in any pain. In fact, despite what she had heard—the sound, clearly, of <em>someone <em>being stabbed—she wasn't bleeding, and had no Black Keys sticking out of any part of her body.

Her brain was, admittedly, lagging a bit behind her body at the moment. She blamed that on her general state of exhaustion.

Every snapped back into working order, though, at the pained, shuddering sigh. Blinking again, her eyes finally absorbed the sight before her.

"… Satsuki?" she whispered hoarsely.

At the sound of her name, Satsuki smiled weakly, a small river of blood trailing down her chin as she trembled, trying to stay upright. A single Black Key protruded from her chest, missing her heart by inches, stained with blood and the blade only inches from Miyuki's face; the second one had found its home in her side, and the third was buried in her shoulder, causing her arm to dangle limply beside her.

"Satsuki," Miyuki repeatedly numbly, horrified by the sight in front of her.

"Miyuki-san," Satsuki breathed, and she coughed, bringing her functioning hand to her mouth as more blood seeped out. "Sorry I'm late."

And with that, she fell to her knees, shuddering in pain.

"_Satsuki!"_

Before, she felt she couldn't move even if she tried; now she felt as if she couldn't move fast enough. Staggering to her feet, ignoring the surge of liquid pain that ran through her body, Miyuki stumbled to Satsuki, falling in front of the younger girl, bringing her good hand up to try and stop the bleeding. "Idiot," she rasped. "I told you to run!"

Satsuki looked at her, red eyes gleaming with amusement. "You sound ready to cry."

"Idiot," Miyuki repeated helplessly, dropping her forehead to Satsuki's good shoulder and trembling. Closing her eyes at the sensation, Satsuki lightly brought a hand up to pat the other girl on the head.

"I'll be all right," she murmured. "I'm a vampire, remember? I'll regenerate eventually. That's how it usually works in the movies."

In spite of herself, Miyuki began to laugh.

* * *

><p>Somewhere along the way, Ciel was pretty sure she had miscalculated something.<p>

She watched in silence as the two huddled together, Satsuki bleeding, Miyuki bleeding even worse than she was. She'd seen her fair share of vampires at the receiving end of Black Keys before, but she'd certainly never seen one taking them for another person.

_Even when you're a vampire, you're far too nice, Yumizuka-san. _

Sighing at the thought, running a hand through her hair, the older woman composed her thoughts and finally decided she needed to move, taking steps towards the worn out pair.

Miyuki saw her first, over Satsuki's shoulder; her eyes widened, then hardened and she got back to her feet, hissing in pain and ignoring Satsuki's murmur of confusion, stepping between the pair again.

Ciel paused, eyebrow lifted. "You're almost dead on your feet."

Miyuki simply reached for her sword again; Satsuki reached down, gently touching her hand, and stilled the other woman. She smiled shakily at Miyuki's confused look, before she stepped forward, placing herself between her friend and the approaching executioner.

Even with the Black Keys still in her body, the message was clear.

"Satsuki." It came out as another hiss, Miyuki's eyes darting from her to Ciel and back again.

Satsuki glanced back at her. "You helped me, Miyuki-san. I'm going to help you now." She turned back to Ciel, hesitated, then spoke again. "Ciel-senpai?"

Ciel sighed. "I'm not your senpai anymore, Yumizuka-san."

That threw her off, as Ciel knew it would; but Satsuki shook it off and took another tentative step forward. "Senpai," she said, "I know you want to kill me. That's your… job. I don't mind that. But let Miyuki-san go. She's only human, and she just got involved because…" Her voice softened. "Because she wanted to help me. It isn't fair for her to get hurt because of that."

… _Far, far too nice, Yumizuka-san._

It seemed the change hadn't altered her nature nearly as much as Ciel had feared; she was still very much the kind, shy girl she had been in school, the person who always watched Shiki from a distance but rarely tried to approach him. How much of that was due to interacting with Miyuki and how much of it was due to her own humanity, Ciel wasn't sure, but she did know for a fact: Satsuki wasn't the threat she had once thought she was.

She sighed; her shoulders slumped. "Well, great," she muttered. "Now I look like the bad guy."

Satsuki blinked, baffled. "Senpai?"

"I'm not your… never mind." Ciel grimaced, scratching the back of her neck, then turned her gaze to Miyuki. "Hey, you."

Miyuki scowled. "What?"

"You have a place for Yumizuka-san?" At Miyuki's blank look, Ciel sighed. "I was spying on your conversation. Answer me, please, this is important."

"Uh… yes. I do. There's someone back home who could help her, and my family wouldn't mind taking her in…"

"Good. She's your responsibility now. If she kills anyone, it's on your head." Ciel scratched the back of her neck, wincing. "This is going to make for an interesting report to the Church. I'd say my bosses will be upset with me, but they don't like me much anyway." She laughed softly. "I think they'd be upset to hear from me even if I brought them good news."

Satsuki winced. "Will you get in trouble, Senpai?"

Ciel smiled gently. "I'll be all right, Yumizuka-san. I've managed before." She closed one eye, bringing up a finger. "Just do me a favor and try to stay out of trouble at your new home, okay?"

The younger girl smiled; weakly, uncertainly, but it was a warm smile all the same. "I'll try."

It was a sweet moment between the two former students, a touching realization and a scene all around meant to give one warm and fuzzy feelings…

Miyuki coughed.

"So, um, about those swords…"

Ciel winced.

"Ah, right. Um… Yumizuka-san? This is going to hurt."

Satsuki paled.

* * *

><p>"What if they don't like me?"<p>

Miyuki laughed softly, adjusting her grip on her bag and carefully slinging the strap over her good shoulder; moving around, it turned out, was far more difficult when one of her arms was broken, but with Satsuki's help she had managed so far. "It's kind of late to worry about that, don't you think?"

Satsuki squirmed, trotting after Miyuki to keep pace with her and absently tugging her hat down to keep the rays of sunlight out of her eyes; the day was blazingly bright. "I was worried on the plane, too."

"Were you? I didn't notice."

Satsuki snorted at Miyuki's innocent tone, resisting the urge to shoot back that the only reason she hadn't noticed on the plane was because she'd been holding on to the other girl's hand so tightly she'd gone numb. Who knew Miyuki was afraid of heights?

"In all seriousness, though, you'll be fine." Miyuki smiled at her. "Really. I'm pretty sure Mom's all set to adopt you."

The other girl smiled weakly. "She seemed to like me."

Chuckling, Miyuki reached out with her good hand and patted Satsuki on the head, making the girl squawk as her hat was dislodged. "You're pretty easy to like."

Satsuki readjusted her hat, and couldn't quite hide her forming blush, or fight back the gathering warmth she felt in her center. This was a new city, with new people, but if she felt like this, it didn't seem so bad.

And as long as Miyuki was there, she knew she'd be okay.

All too soon, though, she was distracted from her thoughts by a gentle tap on the shoulder; looking up, she caught Miyuki's eye, and the other girl gestured towards a house. Curious, she followed her hand.

Her eyes widened.

The door was already open, several people sprawled across the lawn; several girls whispering and giggling, only in elementary school by the look of them, and two snuggling wolfish looking puppies, though the blonde stayed particularly close to the brunette. Leaning against the doorway, Miyuki's brother chatted easily with a purple-haired woman, and an older group seemed gathered around the girls as Momoko and Shiro moved from group to group.

Taped to the window was a simple sign; minimal decorations, and the handwriting was a little sloppy, but it didn't take away from the message at all.

_Welcome to our home, Satsuki!_

"Ah," Satsuki managed; it was the best she could do with the warm lump in her throat and the rising wetness in her eyes. Shaking her head, swallowing hard, she swiped furiously at her eyes with her sleeve, sniffling.

"… Are you crying?"

"I… I…" It was all she could manage. She wanted to say something meaningful, but in the end, she couldn't think of anything that fit. She settled for turning a radiant smile to Miyuki, even as tears continued to stream down her face. "Um… it's not too bad, is it?"

Miyuki gazed at her for a moment; her eyes softened, and she gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Not too bad at all. Ready?"

Satsuki nodded. "As I'll ever be.

She stepped into the yard, Miyuki by her side, and waved, tentatively, when all eyes focused on her.

The reaction was instantaneous.

No sooner did she lower her hand, Satsuki found herself swarmed by people, people all around her. The loudest, by far, was the brown-haired girl wearing the pig tails, in sharp contrast to the silent but still curious blonde that was at her heels. A million and one questions were being fired from the blonde with blazing green eyes, and Satsuki could barely keep track of the whole group as they closed around her. The only two men she could see hung quietly in the back, watching the whole thing with amused, small smiles

Then, mercifully, they parted the way for an older woman; the mother, she assumed, of the loud brunette, judging by her appearance, even if her overall demeanor seemed much quieter and far calmer than her daughter. Her blue eyes gleaming, she offered her hand. "I'm Momoko," she said. "Welcome to our home."

Satsuki made a small, strangled sound that might have been a greeting or might have just been some noise of shock; she wasn't completely sure. Hesitantly, she accepted the older woman's hand and found herself pulled into a warm, tight, easy hug.

When she clung to Momoko and began to weep again, the other woman simply smiled.

* * *

><p>Miyuki hung back and watched as her family and friends gathered around Satsuki, utterly accepting her into the fold. She had expected nothing less, but it was still a relief to see how naturally the younger girl was being pulled into the family.<p>

It also kept everyone distracted from her rather banged up appearance, so she also appreciated it for that.

"What happened to your arm, Onee-chan?"

… Almost everyone, at least.

"Hi, Nanoha," she sighed.

"Hello." Nanoha smiled up at her, the perfect picture of calm maturity at almost ten years old. "What happened to your arm?"

"I fell down the stairs."

Nanoha gave her a look, the kind that clearly stated she didn't believe a word her older sister had said. Miyuki simply shrugged. Finally, the younger girl sighed. "You don't want to talk about it."

"Don't worry yourself." Miyuki smiled slightly. "The stairs didn't follow me home."

Nanoha rolled her eyes at that, but to Miyuki's relief she dropped the subject; no doubt she would bring it up again later, when she thought her older sister's guard was down, but at least she recognized that for now nothing would come of pushing the matter. "Your friend seems like a good person," she said instead, deciding Satsuki would be a good change in topic as the girl introduced herself to Shiro and Kyouya.

Miyuki's smile softened at that. "She is. She's had a rough time, but she'll be all right now."

"Mmm." Nanoha paused for a moment, thinking, before she glanced up at the other girl, eyes gleaming with faint humor. "So, when did you become me, Onee-chan?"

Miyuki blinked at that. "Excuse me?"

"Well, you go away from home for several days, come back all banged up and bruised, and you have a new friend with you."

"…. It was only a recent thing?" Miyuki tried weakly, not entirely sure where her sister was planning to go with this conversation. "And to be fair, Satsuki wasn't the one who did it. It was someone else."

"I figured. She seems too nice."

Baffled as to what, exactly, her sister was trying to get at, Miyuki fell silent. Nanoha, for her part, seemed content to stay with the older woman and let her figure her thoughts out, obviously waiting for her to figure it out on her own.

Evidently, she hadn't figured it out fast enough, because Nanoha spoke up again. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Miyuki fell silent at that, not sure how she was supposed to respond. Trust Nanoha to pick up on the mild inner conflict she'd been experiencing when she'd left home for her job. Kid was damn perceptive for still being so young.

_Did you find what you were looking for?_

Without even being aware of it, her eyes drifted over to Satsuki. The young vampire was still sticking to Momoko's side as glue, even as she tentatively introduced herself to Hayate and her knights, one of Suzuka's kittens cradled in her arms.

Her lips quirked upward, slightly.

"Not sure what I found, honestly," she admitted. "But it was a pretty good thing all the same."

Nanoha chuckled. "We all have to start somewhere, Onee-chan."

* * *

><p>Miyuki sighed and stretched, enjoying the warmth of the day. She didn't usually linger after school, but Satsuki had wanted to check out a new club, and so she had decided to wait for the girl before heading home. Leaning back against a school window, she slid her glasses up her nose and closed her eyes, sighing in contentment.<p>

The time had passed peacefully, in the several months that had gone by since bringing Satsuki home. She had settled into the Takamachi family as if she belonged nowhere else, and she'd taken to the new school environment shockingly well. And in the months that had gone by, Miyuki's arm was almost completely healed, even if it wasn't yet back to its full capacity.

It didn't matter, she mused, opening her eyes. It was all over now; Satsuki was happy, and she was healed. Nothing could go wrong now.

And then, out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flash of blue.

"… Oh, _goddammit_."

The girl approaching her jolted and stepped back, light blue eyes wide with shock and hurt; she clasped her hands in front of her chest as if Miyuki's words had wounded her. "Miyuki-chan! How rude! I was simply going to ask if you'd be interested in joining the tea club!"

"How the hell did you learn my name?" Miyuki growled.

The other girl blinked, adjusting her glasses (since _when _did she wear glasses?) as she smiled nervously. "What do you mean? I'm in your class, Miyuki-chan, don't you remember? We're friends!"

"No, we're not. You tried to kill Satsuki and the last time we _spoke_, you _broke my arm_!"

The smile held for a single instant before it fell completely; now she scowled. "Wonderful. Not only are you stubborn as a rock, but you have some magical resistance."

"I'd hope so, by now," Miyuki muttered, and sighed. "What are you doing here?"

The other girl shrugged. "My name is Ciel, by the way, not just you." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And for the record, I'm no happier about it than you are. My bosses assigned me here after things wrapped up in Misaki. I'm supposed to monitor Yumizuka-san."

"And when you say 'monitor'…"

"Exactly that. Nothing more, nothing less." Ciel met Miyuki's gaze. "I'm not a threat to her, so long as she isn't a threat to anyone else."

There was a long moment of silence as Miyuki searched Ciel's eyes, looking for some kind of lie; not seeing it, her shoulders slumped as the other girl leaned against the wall beside her. "Fine. I can accept that."

Ciel nodded, and they fell silent after that. Miyuki could almost forget she was there, except she felt her eyes on her. "What now?"

"Are you sure you don't remember us being good friends, Miyuki-chan?" She smiled, in a sickeningly sweet school girl way that Miyuki found intensely disturbing. "Because I've always been here, you know."

"_You broke my arm."_

"…" Ciel slumped. "Drat. I was really hoping you'd forgotten about that by now."

"And stop calling me Miyuki-chan. It's creepy."

The smile became absolutely wicked, now. "But it suits you so perfectly, _Miyuki-chan_."

Miyuki groaned.

**The End**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Read and review, please!


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